For the first time, scientists at IBM Research have demonstrated reliably storing 3 bits of data per cell using a relatively new memory technology known as phase-change memory (PCM).

The current memory landscape spans from venerable DRAM to hard disk drives to ubiquitous flash. But in the last several years PCM has attracted the industry's attention as a potential universal memory technology based on its combination of read/write speed, endurance, non-volatility and density. For example, PCM doesn't lose data when powered off, unlike DRAM, and the technology can endure at least 10 million write cycles, compared to an average flash USB stick, which tops out at 3,000 write cycles.
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If you've not yet heard of "phase-change memory (PCM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) or resistive RAM (RRAM) SearchStorage.com senior writer Carol Sliwa is certain you will. IBM's announcement this summer that thermal-based PCM might enable systems to retrieve data 100 times faster than NAND flash and to endure at least 10 million write cycles drew attention. In the view of some knowledgeable storage industry insiders, though, NAND's demise is years off because the cost of manufacturing these technologies is still prohibitive. Sliwa's article covers the range of technologies drawing attention both in the lab and the board room.
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Phase-change memory technology could be the future of digital archiving, particularly for university and college libraries whose magnetic storage technologies are reaching their physical limits, said Chris Wood, Sun CTO for storage and data management, during a recent meeting of the Sun Preservation and Archiving Special Interest Group (PASIG) in Baltimore.
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